Could the jobs number send us into correction?

The most important day of the month for futures traders is upon us, with the all-important employment situation to be announced tomorrow. The jobs number provides traders the opportunity to make huge profits, but at a high risk. Buying or selling futures ahead of the number would require a trader to set wide stops, in turn risking large amounts of capital. Options on futures can help a trader avoid this problem.

In light of recent economic data and the news out of North Korea, many investors find this market to be a risky buy at these levels. We have backed off from all-time highs multiple times and the risk in this market is definitely to the downside. Ahead of tomorrow's jobs number traders will surely be looking to hedge their investments or speculate on direction.

There are several ways you can trade the S&P 500:

Buy Individual stocks in the S&P 500. This is a very capital intensive way to take a view on the index. It does, however, offer the opportunity to leg out laggards and add to winners, but this strategy may not track the index perfectly.

Buy the ETF. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY). Although this would also be capital intensive, this is an easy position to manage.

E-mini S&P 500 Futures and Options. This gives a trader the best opportunity to set up a great risk vs. reward trade while tracking the performance of the index very well. This is also one of the most liquid futures markets.

Although all of the above are viable ways to trade the number, options on futures are the best way to play a catalyst event. Let’s look at examples of how a trader can take a bullish or bearish view on tomorrow’s number.

About the Author

James Ramelli is the Moderator of the Live Futures Options Trading Room at KeeneOnTheMarket.com where he actively trades futures and options on futures while educating members on strategies, setups and risk management. He has a degree in Finance with a focus in Derivatives Trading and Financial Engineering from The University of Illinois and has been trading for five years. James appears regularly on Bloomberg T.V. and BNN and writes a weekly column for Futures Magazine.